Chandrapur: A three-year-old tigress died after being struck by a railway engine on the Gondia–Ballarshah railway line in Chandrapur district on Thursday. According to information, the incident occurred around 5:15am when a train heading towards Gondia hit a tigress between Sindewahi and Rajoli stations in compartment number 247 of Lonkhari beat in Sindewahi range. Due to the impact, the tigress suffered head injuries, killing it on the spot. The loco pilot alerted the railway authorities, who, in turn, informed the forest department. A team led by range forest officer Anjali Sayankar reached the spot, and a post-mortem was conducted by veterinarians Dr Ravikant Khobragade and LDO Dr Vinod Surpam. CCF RM Ramanujam, DCF Kumar Swamy, representatives of the NTCA, Bandu Dhotre, and the PCCF, Yash Kayarkar, were also present. The tigress was later incinerated.The Chanda Fort–Gondia route, operated by SECR, cuts through a critical tiger corridor linking the Tadoba–Andhari Tiger Reserve with Kanhargaon, Kaval, and Umred–Karhandla wildlife sanctuaries. Since 2001, the stretch has claimed more than 130 wild animals, including at least 19 tigers in recent years. In November 2018, three tiger cubs were killed by a passenger train near Junona, sparking widespread outrage. Following that incident, SECR briefly reduced train speeds through forested sections — a measure that wildlife activists say was quietly abandoned within months.Wildlife activist Dinesh Khate demanded the speed limit on this route should be fixed at 60 kmph during daytime and reduced to 40 kmph after 6 pm to curb such accidents. Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court, which is monitoring the issue through a PIL, had previously directed both departments to propose immediate remedial steps.
